


Stronger Together: A Glimmadora Ending

by NamakiTDR



Series: Stronger Together: A Glimmadora Ending [1]
Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Adorable, Cute, F/F, Fluff, Forgiveness, Gay, Glimmadora - Freeform, Grief/Mourning, Homos, Lesbians, No Lesbians Die, POV Glimmer (She-Ra), Redemption, Self-Hatred
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-20
Updated: 2020-06-10
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:28:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24282859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NamakiTDR/pseuds/NamakiTDR
Summary: Long story short, I was disappointed with She-Ra season 5 for several reasons I might get into in the author's notes explaining why I made some changes. So, I thought I'd just make this fan fiction and move on. This is how I would've handled a few aspects of this season's theme and plot and subplots in which Glimmadora becomes canon while Catradora and Glimbow don't. Enjoy!
Relationships: Adora/Glimmer (She-Ra)
Series: Stronger Together: A Glimmadora Ending [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1752958
Comments: 54
Kudos: 75





	1. Solitude

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't plan on these chapters to be long, just so y'all know. They're actually gonna be really short just so I have the will to keep writing it. A scene in this chapter is inspired by thievingdoom's one shot: You Keep Me Up At Night (check it out it's so good). Anyway, this chapter happens in Season 5 Episode 1 shortly before 13:00.

_If your best was enough, my mom would still be here._ Those words continued to echo in Glimmer’s thoughts. Those words, however, weren’t what haunted her. What haunted her was Adora’s reaction. Her big, baby blues trembled and watered; her mouth opening and closing as though she wanted to say something but didn’t know what; her hands curling into fists as she couldn’t help but take a step back. Disbelief and shock were written in big, bold letters across her face - and it was Glimmer’s fault. She never had the chance to apologize as Adora only ran away in hurt.

Glimmer laid back in her bed, her head at the foot of it so she could look into the deep, dark, outer space just outside the window above her bed, though she couldn’t bring herself to only stare into that. She mostly stared at the metallic, shiny ceiling of her cell. She needed to see the reflection of it - it was her punishment to herself. What she saw laying in her bed in the reflection wasn’t her. It wasn’t who she thought she was: smart; a hero; a good friend. What she saw was the villain of the story. She used Adora as bait without her consent, failed Mermista, and her arrogance brought this monster to her planet. She revolted at the sight of her true reflection.

 _I wonder what mom would think if she saw me now. She’d probably ground me as soon as she brought me back to Bright Moon._ To that thought, Glimmer huffed a small laugh, then came the warmth in her eyes. Her heart ached as she held herself, closing her eyes; the tears fell down the sides of her head. She imagined her mother’s hug she’d missed so dearly - and her wings wrapping around her as well. _If only I were nicer to her, too._ That thought brought her to sob. She’d treated everyone she cared for like pawns in her game against the Horde; they likely died because of it.

For all she knew, Bow and Adora were probably dead. If they were, it’d be entirely her fault for ignoring their warnings. If they weren’t, she probably wouldn’t get the chance to make amends with them, and it’d be her fault for being taken to this spaceship in the first place. She’d give anything to feel the warmth in Bow’s hugs and the bright smile on Adora’s face again. They were her first friends ever and she ruined it so tragically. 

_Adora._ The thought of her instantly warmed her heart and wiped her tears. _Adora’s so dumb,_ Glimmer giggled to herself, recalling a good memory. 

* * *

Glimmer couldn’t believe what she had seen that week. She thought she’d hit the jackpot by capturing a Horde Captain, but what they’d found was much, much more than that: “She-Ra.” Her first transformation was breathtaking. There was a light that shone from within Adora, a light that told Glimmer, “Everything is gonna be okay.” Her eight foot stature, her muscles, her long hair… It was all bliss. And Glimmer couldn’t stop thinking about it as she struggled to sleep. 

With heavy lids, Glimmer teleported down from her bed, wiping her eyes as her muscles ached in exhaustion. She had decided that tea may help her sleep and finally get Adora off her mind; she waddled tiredly out of her room and through the castle halls and to the kitchen. Much to her surprise, she had found a certain blonde on her mind there. “Adora?” Glimmer whispered.

Adora propped her shoulders up and, startled, looked at Glimmer with a small smile. “Hey,” Adora whispered back, “Do we have to whisper?”

Glimmer smiled, shaking her head. “Just didn’t wanna scare you,” she explained quickly before making her way to prepare the kettle for her tea. “What are you doing here?”

Though Glimmer wasn’t looking, she could feel the sudden nervousness spike in Adora - she wore her heart on her sleeve. She’s an open book to even blind people. “U-uh, I, err…” Glimmer looked back at Adora, who was scratching the back of her neck and seemingly staring into nothing. “Well, what are _you_ doing up?”

“Huh?” The question caught Glimmer completely off-guard as her mind became static. “Oh, uh, nightmares,” she answered just before bringing her attention back to the kettle. “Just, uh… yeah, nightmares.”

“I didn’t know you had nightmares. Do… you… wanna talk about it??” Adora asked hesitantly, probably because she didn’t know if she was overstepping any boundaries. “It’s cool, though, if, ya know, you don’t wanna tell me your deepest darkest fears,” Adora chuckled, once again rubbing the back of her neck as she walked to stand beside Glimmer.

 _I keep thinking about you and it’s not letting me sleep,_ Glimmer wanted to say. She knew, however, that that may come off as strange - she didn’t exactly understand it herself. It shouldn’t be bothering her so much anyway since it’s probably nothing… right? Glimmer smiled once again, shaking her head. “You’re okay.” A stale, awkward silence shortly filled the room. Adora took that as a “no, I don’t want to talk about it.” And so, Adora was left to continue venturing for, what Glimmer assumed, her midnight snack. Glimmer tapped on the counter as she waited for her kettle to be ready. In her tapping, a thought poked and prodded at her curiosity. “I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours,” she said, gaining Adora’s attention once more. 

Again, Adora propped her shoulders up and looked at Glimmer, though without the smile. She seemed genuinely surprised Glimmer was willing to open up. Bow probably told her that she wasn’t as open a book as Adora. “Yeah! Okay, sure!” Adora said, her voice sounding a slight pitch higher as she returned to Glimmer’s side. “Um… Me first?”

Glimmer nodded.

“Okay, um… I’ve never seen them, but from what Bow told me… Frogs. They sound a little terrifying.”

Glimmer held back her smile, stifling a laugh. “Really?”

“The thought of something able to unleash its tongue like a whip to catch its prey is pretty terrifying.”

“Did Bow tell you how big they are?”

“Uh… No. Like a horse, or?” Glimmer grinned at Adora’s obliviousness and cupped her hands, pretending to hold a chick in them. Adora’s jaw dropped, her inquisitive eyes sparkling. “Small?”

“Very,” Glimmer laughed, finally releasing that pent up joy. “She-Ra is afraid of miniature animals,” she said, continuing to laugh. Embarrassed, Adora covered her face, laughing with Glimmer. Once the joy in the room died down, yet another thought poked at Glimmer’s curiosity. “Does… _she_ scare you?” Adora gave an inquiring look. “You know… She-Ra?”

The light in Adora’s face dimmed slightly as her eyes fell from Glimmer’s. “I mean… a _little._ I could hurt someone if I’m not careful, ya know?”

Understanding, Glimmer nodded. 

Adora looked up to meet Glimmer’s eyes. “But I can’t let it get to me. I have to protect people, and to do that, I… I can’t be afraid.” Glimmer’s lips stretched into a smile. She could feel the strain on the edges of her mouth already. In turn, Adora smiled back, bringing Glimmer’s attention to her lips. She had never noticed how soft they looked until this moment. Her fixation on Adora’s lips led her to noticing the freckles spread across her nose and cheeks. This only made Glimmer’s smile wider. 

EEEEEEE-

The kettle scared the living daylight out of Adora as she immediately got into a defensive fighting position. Before she had the chance to punch it off the stove, Glimmer got in the way, her hands protruding to Adora’s face. “Not a bomb!” She said repetitively. Carefully, as to not frighten Adora any further, Glimmer moved the kettle. “It’s supposed to scream. That’s how I know it’s ready,” she explained.

As Glimmer prepared her tea, Adora watched in awe. “What… is… that…?” 

Glimmer raised her eyebrows as she looked at Adora. “You didn’t even have _tea_ there?” Adora shook her head slowly. Glimmer sighed, feeling her heart hurt at the idea of the environment Adora grew up in. “Think of it like a multitool: you can use it for all kinds of things - as a screwdriver or a wrench. Tea is a drink that can help you with a lot of things, too. It can give you energy, make you happy… This one is gonna help me sleep. Do you wanna give it a try?” Again, Adora’s eyes sparkled at the beverage. She acted with haste once given a cup and tried to drink immediately, burning her top lip. Glimmer laughed, “You’re supposed to blow on it first!” _Adora is so dumb_ , she thought, amused by the scenario.

* * *

That conversation brought a feeling to Glimmer now, in the cell. _I can’t let it get to me,_ said Adora, _I can’t be afraid._ Still holding herself, Glimmer closed her eyes softly, breathing slowly. She could feel her heart - she could hear it. _I have to do something._

Glimmer stood and, with no loss of her momentum in her newfound determination, went to the green ray shield keeping her in. She cupped her hands together as though holding a chick, mustering up what energy she had left to create an aura. She released this magic onto the shield.

Nothing.

Hoping to think of something else, Glimmer began to pace alongside the shield. When nothing came to mind, she grew frustrated. She turned back to the shield and placed her hands on it, the point of contact twinkling. “You can’t hold me here forever!” She shouted. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nothing to change here. I'll be fair, the first three episodes were PERFECTION. I just thought I should add more color to Glimmer's thoughts and situation in this episode. If you were too lazy to check it out or just couldn't look at the timestamp this takes place prior, Glimmer is about to find out Adora is alive when she has dinner with Hordak Prime and Catra. I hope this goes well because I am the WORST at updating stories. Until next time, hopefully?


	2. I'm So Sorry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ANOTHER CHAPTER ALREADY?? Well, you see, the reception was very encouraging. Y'all really got me hyped to write more. Now this chapter here is kind of a revamp of Season 5 Episode 4. Read the author's notes at the bottom for my justification on why I made these changes.

_Ow…_ Glimmer lifted herself up to at least sit, her head throbbing from the fall. The dust earned several coughs, drowning out the sound of someone talking to her. “Are you guys okay?!” That voice - it was Bow’s. “Glimmer?! Adora?!”

“We’re fine!” Shouted Adora as she came to her feet, dusting off her shoulders and thighs. Glimmer heard Adora groan at the scenario just a few feet above them - her staff was stuck between the cave walls. Once Glimmer saw this, she remembered what had happened. 

The ground had opened up just beneath them. Luckily for Bow, he was far enough ahead since Glimmer lingered to try to make amends with Adora. Adora’s keen instinct was precise as always - she drew and extended her staff to catch herself and, of course, caught Glimmer’s hand. “Hold on,” Adora cried. The walls that held the staff trembled once again, shaking Adora off of her staff. The fall still hurt, but at least it wasn’t as far as it would’ve been had Adora not acted so quickly.

“There’s some crystals down here!” Adora told Bow as Glimmer finally stood, feeling the side of her throbbing head. 

“That’s great!” Said Bow, “I’ll see if I can find a safe way down! Be safe!” Before Glimmer or Adora could say much of anything else, Bow was already out of sight.

“Glimmer,” Adora said quietly, “you can’t just teleport him down here?” The sound of Adora’s voice directed at her in particular made Glimmer’s heart skip a beat - mostly out of fear since she didn’t know what she’d say. This was the first thing Adora had said to her since she was rescued.

* * *

When Glimmer finished hugging Bow, crying tears of joy, she turned her attention to Adora. Adora, however, seemed rather occupied with organizing the rescue supplies - almost like she was too busy to care. Glimmer had reached her hand to Adora, but Adora had walked away without looking at her, carrying the supplies with her. Glimmer could feel her heart sink at the sight of it as she allowed her hand to fall by her side. “Give her some time,” said Bow, “she was excited to have you back, but… maybe she just wasn’t ready to talk to you again.” Glimmer nodded. _Yeah. Of course. She’s very forgiving, so she’ll forgive me eventually… Right?_ Distraught, Glimmer rubbed her face in frustration. _Oh, who am I kidding… She wasn’t forgiving with Shadow Weaver and she wasn’t the one that brought Horde Prime to Etheria!_ Glimmer felt a hotness rise to her face as her thoughts raced around her head. How badly she wished she could take back all of the things she’d said was all she could think of now.

* * *

Glimmer took a deep breath before answering, hoping to relieve herself from some of the pain in her head. “Prime did something to me,” she started to explain, too nervous to make eye contact with Adora - she was sure Adora wasn’t exactly wanting eye contact either. “He did something to my powers, I don’t know what. It’s like when you try to turn on a lamp and it just… doesn’t. It’s plugged in, it has a bulb, but you still don’t know why it won’t turn on.”

“Do you think you’ve been disconnected from your runestone?”

“Maybe… The distance could’ve damaged my connection.”

“Well, things have been going wonderfully, haven’t they?” Adora sighed, placing her hands on her hips as she stared up at her suspended staff. 

“At least I can still use sorcery…” Knowing Adora wasn’t looking her way, Glimmer felt comfortable to look at her. “Erm… Adora…?”

“What?”

“Where’s your sword…?”

Adora’s jaw clenched when she brought her gaze to finally meet Glimmer’s eyes. They weren’t what she remembered - they were tired. “I had to break my sword to stop Light Hope from using the Heart of Etheria,” she said, almost sounding like a scolding. Glimmer immediately broke eye contact, staring at her feet. Again, she felt her heart sink at the sound of Adora’s anger. _Right… My fault…_ “Come on, help me get it back,” said Adora as she knelt, holding her hands together. Having no other choice, Glimmer nodded; she placed her foot in Adora’s hands; Adora raised Glimmer; Glimmer barely touched the staff but, thankfully, it was enough leverage to recover it. Despite having retrieved Adora’s weapon, she still didn’t seem any happier when she just took it from Glimmer’s hand and turned away. At least there was some eye contact, though. 

As Glimmer and Adora ventured through this cave system, Glimmer had taken every crystal she could find and held it in her cape bagged in her arm. She walked behind Adora, watching her ponytail sway with each step they took. Her eyes fell to Adora’s back, remembering fondly how they had to hide the insignia on it when they first met. “Remember your first party? Thaymor?” Though there was no answer, Glimmer decided to keep the conversation going. “Everything was so new to you. I remember Bow and I were so surprised with how much you were eating,” she giggled. 

“Yeah, I remember,” Adora finally replied, though dryly. “But things are different now.”

Glimmer was yet again saddened. “Yeah. I guess so.”

“You guess?” Adora stopped walking, prompting Glimmer to stop as well when Adora turned to face her, her fists clenched. “You _guess_ things aren’t different?”

Glimmer rolled her lips in her teeth, still looking down. “No… I know they are.”

“Then why are you acting like they aren’t?”

Glimmer finally met Adora’s eyes. Adora was clearly furious - furrowed brows and all. “Look, I… I know that not everything is okay right now, but I-I thought I could just… ya know… stay positive. Like you used to.”

“So, suddenly, you’re taking after me?”

“I always was… Adora, you’ve been everything I wanted to be ever since I met you. You’re always so strong and always doing the right thing-”

“Did you look up to me this much when you thought I should be bait? Did you look up to me when you listened to Shadow Weaver over me? Or are you just saying these things to make me your soldier again?”

To that, Glimmer fell silent, her heart racing. She didn’t want this to turn into another argument. Her free hand tapped her hip some, thinking. _Okay… compliments aren’t just gonna make this go away…_ “I messed up. I messed up so bad,” she admitted. Adora’s face started to calm. “I was so horrible to you,” she said, her voice beginning to break. “I’ve spent who-knows-how long on that ship just thinking about it. I didn’t know if I’d ever get to see you again or if-” she felt sudden tears roll down her cheeks - tears she started wiping with her free hand, “if I’d ever see you again or get to tell you how sorry I am. I’m so sorry, Adora. I’m so, so, so sorry. I’m so sorry I said those things to you. I’m so sorry I used you as a distraction.” She couldn’t hold it anymore. All of those feelings she’s kept to herself for so long blurted out of her. “I’m so sorry I didn’t listen to you. I’m so sorry I brought Prime to us,” she sobbed, “He just - I was so scared. I was so scared of his army being here that I let my knee-jerk reaction just screw everything up - Adora, I’m so sorry. I’m so, very sorry.” Glimmer’s eyes shut in hopes to stop her pathetic crying, “I don’t deserve your forgiveness, but, Adora, I’d be the most grateful person in this _universe!_ I’m so sorry!” Glimmer felt Adora’s arms wrap around her, holding her close. _Thank you._ Glimmer continued to sob into Adora’s shoulder, “I should’ve listened to you, I’m so sorry!” Glimmer dropped the crystals to hug Adora as tightly as her weak arms would let her, “I’m so sorry!!”

Adora rubbed Glimmer’s back, hoping to comfort her. “It’s okay,” she said quietly, “it’s okay. I’m sorry, too.” The two remained hugging, Glimmer still crying into Adora’s shoulder. The warmth in her hug and her scent of forest/nature had given Glimmer the closure she’d hoped for.

Adora loosened her arms around Glimmer and placed a hand at the tip of her chin, pulling her face up. Slightly confused, Glimmer only continued to allow tears to stream down her face as she sniffled rather aggressively. Adora’s familiar eyes had returned: lively, sparkling… loving…? Adora closed her eyes, touching Glimmer’s forehead with her own. Glimmer sniffled, closing her eyes as well. 

“Guys,” said a familiar voice in their comms, “slight miscalculation!”

“Entrapta? What’s wrong?” Asked Adora as Glimmer ceased her crying, wiping her tears and sniffling as their hug ended. 

“The tremors are accelerating a lot faster than expected! The big one’s comin’ real soon!”

“How soon?”

“Now!” The caves shook on that cue. 

Glimmer hastily took all of the crystals into her cape and ran with Adora, taking her hand. Bits and pieces of the cave began falling as it continued to shake. Adora held her arm over her head to shield herself from the rocks falling here and there. Glimmer struggled with her balance due to the shaking. Once they made it to what seemed to be the exit of this cave system, the ground between them and their escape fell. The gap was rather discouraging, but Glimmer had an idea. “Adora,” she said, “I need you to know that, even though you were a decoy a lot, I’d never let anything bad happen to you.” Glimmer drew a magic circle with her hand, but her hand soon dropped in Adora's lack of response. Her confidence becoming a mere frown, Glimmer looked to Adora, "You... do know that, right?"

Adora answered with a vague shrug. "I do now."

Glimmer exhaled deeply through her nose, continuing to draw her magic circle, “I need you to trust me.”

“What’s the plan?”

“I’m gonna make a platform for us to go across the gap. My form for this is a little shabby, though.”

“How do you know it’s gonna work?”

Glimmer smiled, looking at Adora as she finished the spell. “Trust me?”

All reluctance in Adora’s form was washed away. She smiled, nodding. “I trust you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay - so I was incredibly confused when Adora accepted Glimmer's apology so easily while Bow took a whole episode even though Adora has every right to be more upset than Bow was. Adora was the one Glimmer dragged through the mud for the majority of season 4 and BOW is having a hard time accepting her apology? Sure. And in case you're wondering, Glimmer being disconnected from her runestone is relevant to the plot... Until next time?


	3. In the Stars

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all, I feel really eh about this chapter and I didn't know how to make it any better so pls don't get madddd  
> You already know my justified changes are gonna be at the bottom  
> Anyway this chapter takes place between season 5 episodes 5 and 6

Adora lied on the floor of the room, staring up into the space just past the window on the ceiling. Her hands lied on her abdomen, her thumbs pinching together rather anxiously. Her eyes glowed watching the darkness, but they also seemed distracted. Nevertheless, Glimmer couldn’t help herself from smiling when finding her this way. 

Hoping not to startle Adora, Glimmer stepped lightly over to her. Once near enough to catch Adora’s attention, Adora looked over for a brief moment to shoot a quick smile before returning her gaze to the stars. Glimmer sat beside her, deciding to watch whatever it was Adora was watching; when she saw the beautiful mix of blue and purple swirling in the black of outer space, she felt overwhelmed by the sight - too overwhelmed to only be sitting, that is. In hopes of shaking off this feeling of overwhelming, Glimmer lied back, now parallel to Adora.

Their silence was short lived. Adora was the first to speak, Glimmer turning her head to look at her, “Light Hope told me about the stars. How Etheria was in a separate dimension, or something. Madame Razz even mentioned them once. I never thought they’d be this… breathtaking,” she sighed, “It’s so beautiful.”

Though Glimmer listened, something else occupied her mind - someone. Adora. How she kept that dumb poof on the front of her hair. How her dark brows softened at the sight of the galaxy. How the stars shone in her blue eyes, reflecting almost perfectly in her pupils. How her cute nose curved at the tip. The tiny, easily missable freckles spreading from cheek to cheek like the sea of stars above them. How soft her lips looked. Glimmer looked upon the magnificence of Adora, whose beauty would make the brightest star seem dull by comparison. 

Adora’s brows suddenly furrowed for a split second, immediately returning to her resting face afterwards. Glimmer felt herself frown, worried about what may be bothering Adora. The answer was obvious, of course… “Catra?”

Adora nodded slowly. “I have no idea what I’m doing.”

“Do you ever?” Glimmer teased, smirking. Adora smiled and, much like when her brows furrowed, she quickly returned to her resting face. “Improvising is kind of our thing.”

“I know,” said Adora. “I just hope this isn’t gonna turn out to be a mistake.”

“Well,” Glimmer started, looking back up through the window, “mistake or not… I’m with you. ‘Sides, if it weren’t for you saving her, I would’ve never gotten the chance to thank her for… yeah. So…” A thought came to Glimmer’s mind; she turned to look at Adora. “I never said thank you…”

“What?” Asked Adora as she tore her eyes from the window to look into Glimmer’s lilac ones.

“Sorry, it just… I just realized I never thanked you for saving me…” 

Adora only smiled, “Don’t sweat it. A lot was happening and pretty fast.”

“True, but I still owe you.”

Adora’s smile became a grin as she shook her head, “You really don’t.” Adora turned her body to lay on her side to fully face Glimmer, “Anyone’d do it.”

“Definitely not anyone,” Glimmer shot back, also turning onto her side. “I basically brought doom to us and you still thought I was worth saving. No one’s like that - like you. You save people whether they deserve it or not. You’re my-” Glimmer stopped herself before she could embarrass herself with the upcoming word.  _ Hero. _ “A true hero.”

Adora’s smile had vanished. Glimmer’s heart stopped, wondering if she had said something wrong. This wasn’t a face of sadness or anger, however, but one of shock and surprise. Her lips had lowered slightly on her face as her eyes grew wide, her eyebrows rising… and… was she blushing…? 

Adora quickly turned on her back, now smiling again. She looked to Glimmer momentarily with the side of her eye, then brought her sight back to space. She proceeded to continue her thumb pinching over her abdomen, comfortable in this atmosphere. 

Glimmer, however, found herself uncomfortable in this silence. This was strange for her - she always found herself comfortable around Adora whether they were talking or not. This, though, was the first time she’d ever felt she had to say something. It was as if she didn’t want Adora to get bored. Glimmer, like Adora, turned on her back and watched the stars. Her hands stayed at her side, tapping the metal floor nervously. She glanced over to Adora several times, feeling a lump in her throat grow as she struggled to find whatever words she could. On one of her anxious glances to Adora, she’d caught the moment - her brows did that thing again. The sudden scrunch, a line appearing between them, and resting quickly after. She was thinking of Catra again. 

_ What can I do to get her to relax about the whole thing…? _

Glimmer tapped the floor a few more times, “This reminds me of something I used to do when I was younger,” she said, catching Adora’s attention. “Connect the dots. I did so many of those. Especially when I was grounded,” she chuckled. “It just felt so satisfying knowing I did  _ something _ right,” she continued, her voice growing rather quiet. Ugh, why did she have to say that? With one sentence, all of her mistakes came flooding back to her mind, and she was once again angry at herself. But she couldn’t let that get in the way - Adora needs to keep her mind off of whatever has her on edge. She needs her. “I haven’t done one in years, now that I think about it. Do… err… do you wanna-” Glimmer looked to Adora again, perplexed by what she found. Adora was stiff as a statue, only her eyes moving around. Her jaw was clenched tightly. She somehow seemed more nervous than before. Dang it! She made it worse, didn’t she? Just her luck. 

Then it hit her, “You don’t know what ‘connect the dots’ is, do you?” Adora looked to Glimmer, shaking her head softly. “Urgh,” Glimmer groaned, wiping her hands over her face, laughing to herself quietly. She should’ve known. 

After briefly explaining what it means to connect the dots, Adora seemed to have a solid understanding of the concept. “Do you, err…” Glimmer looked away from Adora, feeling her face heating as she scratched the back of her neck, “do you wanna try it with me? With, uh, the stars?”

Adora grinned, looking back to space, “Yeah! That could be really fun.”

Glimmer looked into the stars with Adora, taking a deep breath. “Okay. Cool. Uh… what do you see?”

Adora hummed, pursing her lips as she did so. Her hands left from her abdomen, sliding them underneath her head as she pondered the stars. “I see… I think I see… a panthor?”

Glimmer’s eyes darted around the stars, eventually finding this “panthor” Adora was talking about - with her help, of course. “That… looks more like a wildcat to me.”

“Hmm… I can see that. What do  _ you _ see?”

“Um…” Glimmer squinted into the stars, eventually finding the shape of a sword. Yeah, definitely a sword. Before speaking, Glimmer had to wonder if the fact Adora was on her mind somehow influenced her searching. Wondering that, Glimmer felt her face heat once again.  _ Why? _ “A really long sword.” 

Adora scooted her body much closer to Glimmer’s, their shoulders nearly touching, hoping to see from Glimmer’s point of view better. Instinctively, Glimmer and Adora took each other’s hands, lacing their fingers around each other's. Glimmer hoped Adora wouldn’t think much of her sweaty palm. 

When Adora eventually found the sword, she wholeheartedly agreed. “Yeah, that  _ does _ look like a sword, huh?” She commented, brushing her thumb against Glimmer’s soft knuckles. 

Feeling a lump grow in her throat yet again, Glimmer’s heart pounded in her chest. She shook off the feeling with the clearing of her throat, “Your turn.” Again, this was an unfamiliar situation for her. Or… perhaps it wasn't? She called back to the early days of their friendship when… everything was good… Thinking more about it, these feelings became more and more familiar, though entirely unwelcome.

She mostly remembered the moments that had no words. Glimmer’s smile when looking at Adora just before Sea Hawk jumped into the conversation. Helping Adora through her anxieties from the Horde. Adora’s face consumed by absolute joy when Glimmer was around. Holding hands and… cuddling… in a hot tub in Mystacor… 

_ Stop, _ she told her pounding heart.

Adora took a deep breath, ceasing her thumb’s movement to focus better on the placement of these stars. “A mermaid,” she exclaimed a bit too excitedly, slightly startling Glimmer. 

“Where?” 

“Above you!”

Glimmer grinned, her eyebrows scrunching in confusion, “They’re all above me.”

“I-” Adora, probably realizing how ridiculous she sounded, finally laughed. The laugh Glimmer had missed so. Adora’s laugh sounded so nice, especially when snorts were thrown in there. Glimmer felt her heart getting bigger, her skin now tingling. 

It finally dawned on Glimmer. She finally realized what she felt for… Adora… What she always felt. Her face became even hotter at the realization.

“I’m gonna go check on Catra,” Adora said, not realizing her words had fallen on deaf ears. Glimmer was too lost in her own thoughts on the revelation. Adora sprung up from the floor, energetic as ever, and bounced out of the room.

Glimmer hadn’t snapped back to the present for, what she assumed, several minutes. Hopeless over these newfound feelings for Adora, Glimmer covered her eyes, rubbing deeply as her sweat ran down her face. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like in chapter 1, I'm not really changing anything - I'm adding to the story. Next chapter will definitely change things up a whole bunch.  
> Yes, I know, panthor is spelled weird, but it's an animal in the 80s show so I thought why not.  
> As you might recall, in late Season 4, Adora was talking about Glimmer and said "I just wanna be the hero she deserves and I don't know if I have been." I thought I might bring that concept to a close in this chapter. What can I say? Adora deserved that reassurance. Gosh, I hope this chapter was good. Until next time?


	4. Is it Mutual?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel good about this chapter but I also feel eh. Hopefully y'all like this one.  
> It'll become clear when this chapter takes place in the final season.  
> You know the usual, justification for the changes at the bottom.

Adora was once an enemy. It’s so strange for Glimmer to ever remember that. She always wondered how different things would be if they had met under different circumstances. Would Adora have ever become She-Ra? Would she have ever defected from the Horde? How often would they meet on the battlefield? Would Glimmer… never have felt this way about anyone?

The journey was certainly remarkable. She was an enemy, an uneasy ally, then one of the most trustworthy people in existence. A Horde captain, She-Ra, then… something else. Something that put a tremble in Glimmer’s heart just thinking about it. As these thoughts zoomed about her head, Glimmer stilled beneath the stars near the new rebellion base. 

She sat on the grassy hill, her knees hugged to her chest. She felt the grass below her, wondering if this grass will still be present in the near future. The rebellion was drastically outnumbered and… all because of her. She built this rebellion. She put it at risk and they still welcomed her with open, warm arms. She knew she didn’t deserve such kindness. Sure, she played a part in freeing Erelandia, but that doesn’t even begin to make up for everything she did. But what more could she do? Without her elemental princess powers, she’s only a mere student in sorcery - not much to offer for the cause. 

In the stars, something came to her sights. A figure seemingly appeared randomly in the black void.  _ Wings…? _ Glimmer sighed, burying her face in her arms and knees.  _ Mom… _ Warm tears stung the sides of her lids as she slipped them shut; her body trembled lightly. What was she gonna do? Ask her dead mom for advice just because she saw something in the stars? 

_ Pathetic. _

_ Weak.  _

_ Useless. _

Hoping to find a way to prevent these thoughts from going any further, Glimmer returned her gaze to the stars.

_ Adora. _

A tear finally fell and caressed her cheek. She remembered the feeling in her heart as she watched the stars with her best friend. She recalled the feeling of her thumb brushing against her knuckles. Her heart began to pound once more, another tear sliding down her face. Warmth consumed her body, her light trembling coming to an end. 

_ ‘I can’t say it enough - I’m so sorry about Angella.’ _

_ ‘Erm… Adora…?’ _

_ ‘Yeah?’ _

_ ‘Could you, err… stay with me…? Tonight?’ _

_ ‘Anything for you.’ _

Now adding to the warmth, Glimmer felt a sense of safety. Security. Reassurance? Trust. There was an aura on Adora that always propelled comfort - even without the fact that she can literally turn into an eight foot beefy lady warrior. Ugh, yeah, she had it bad for Adora… Perhaps she still did? 

* * *

“It’s… Adora…” Glimmer murmured.

“What about her?” Asked Bow, crossing his arms in curiosity. 

The two stood on the balcony of the second floor with the perfect view of the front door should there ever be an intruder. Glimmer shuffled her toe against the floor, eyeing to the side to avoid Bow’s eye contact, “I… might… or might not… like her.”

“Who doesn’t?”

“Bow-” Glimmer sighed, slumping forward slightly as she looked at Bow timidly, “that’s not what I meant.”

Bow stared inquisitively, his gears working through his mind. His eyes lightened at the realization, sparkling and rounding, “You mean…?”

“Yep,” Glimmer muttered, once again looking to the side as she felt her cheeks become hot.

She could feel Bow’s grin growing on his face as his eyes looked to her with joy. “You didn’t know?”

Glimmer nearly choked on her spit, allowing a half cough to escape her as she curled her fists in embarrassments. Her eyes wide with angered unshed tears, she meets his joyful ones. “What’s that supposed to mean?!!”

“I thought you knew!” He blushed, scratching the back of his head. When Glimmer cocked a brow almost furious in embarrassment, Bow straightened, probably thinking of what to say. “I have eyes, Glimmer. I see how you act with each other. You want nothing more to just protect each other.” Before Glimmer could attempt to refute, “You couldn’t escape Shadow Weaver’s prison until you saw Adora in danger. I mean, it’s kinda obvious…” 

Glimmer growled to herself, pushing her fingers through her soft hair as she doubled over. Was it really that obvious? Had she truly been so oblivious to her own feelings for the better part of a year?  _ Ugh, I’m stupid…  _ Glimmer sighed, bringing her head back up as she brought down her embarrassment.  _ No need to be so flustered, gosh! _ “What… do I do? What  _ should _ I do? How do I talk to her without feeling like my heart’s gonna explode whenever she smiles or laughs? What if she… doesn’t feel the same?”

“Oh, I’m sure she does! I said  _ both _ of you look at each other like that.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yes.”

“Absolutely positive?”

Bow beamed. “Sixty percent sure!”

Again, Glimmer hung her head. That’s not what she wanted to hear. Despite Bow’s assurance that the odds were in her favor, Glimmer continued, “Bow, I haven’t been that great. I’ve made a lot of mistakes - mistakes that… I think might’ve made her like me less than before. I can’t ever take any of it back-”

“You can’t keep being this hard on yourself, Glimmer,” Bow said, his voice soft and somber. “No one’s perfect. You were hurt by… recent things… and you lashed out. Adora struggling to communicate on her end made it worse and even she knows that. You’re only human. Besides,” he rests a comforting hand on her shoulder, “she really wanted you back. She’d talk about it almost every day since you were taken.”

Something caught both of their attention - someone on the first floor. Adora walked across the floor, jubilant as ever. _ We should start lowering our voices- _

“Adora,” Bow called, “Can you come here-”

“BOW,” Glimmer hissed, tugging his arm to turn him away from Adora, “what do you think you’re doing?!” She whispered angrily, her face heating once again.

“Be right there,” said Adora. 

Glimmer could feel her heart stop dead in its tracks. Adora was coming.  _ Adora’s coming. _ Adora’s gonna be here soon.  _ Oh please don’t tell me Bow is gonna betray me- _

“Glimmer,” he interrupted her racing thoughts, again setting his hand on her shoulder, “it’ll be fine, okay? You wanted to talk to her, so talk to her. I’ll leave you two to it, okay?”

Glimmer’s eyes shot wide once again, gasping softly. “What? No-”

“Glimmer!” He held her by both shoulders, looking into her eyes with a serious determination. “You gotta talk to her at some point. You love her, don’t you?”

Glimmer only gave a quiet nod.

“And you  _ want _ to talk to her, right?”

Again, Glimmer nodded.

“You’re one of the bravest people I’ve ever met. You got this, okay?” He patted her shoulder with an assuring grin. 

“You know it’s not gonna be easy to tell her,” said Glimmer.

“Tell me what?” Adora asked as she arrived at the balcony. 

Glimmer fell silent, not breaking eye contact with Bow. Bow gave Glimmer another smile and left without a word, Glimmer watching quietly, clearly leaving Adora perplexed. Her face literally had question marks all over it. Adora gave Glimmer the same look; she felt her heart skip a beat.

“What’s going on with him?”

“He’s just being mean to me,” Glimmer growled, holding herself. She knew if she looked at Adora’s cute and dumb face, she’d turn red on the spot. Knowing this, she kept her eyes trained on the floor. “Is there anything I can help you with?” She asked, hoping to not sound forceful.

“Yeah, sure,” Adora pointed behind her with her thumb as she started to walk back, “Entra-”

“No,” Glimmer said, convincing Adora to turn back towards Glimmer, their eyes meeting only for a moment, “no,” Glimmer once again looked to the floor. “I mean - uh, not  _ yet - _ I mean, I wanted to uh…” Glimmer sighed, meeting Adora’s eyes in hopes she doesn’t heat up again. “I jus- I just wanted to talk.”

Adora’s brows furrowed, her eyes bringing more confusion to her face. “Okay.” She walked past Glimmer, placing a hand on her back to guide her to stand at the rails with her, “Okay,” she repeated softly.

Glimmer was quick, perhaps too quick, to turn her body to face Adora’s, startling Adora slightly. Before a word could escape her tongue, she saw them. She saw Adora’s eyes. Their depth. Their bright, shining, blue complexity. “Uh…” It was safe to say that she immediately became a furnace. Unfortunately, Adora caught her discomfort.

“Are you okay? You’re getting really red,” Adora cood, placing her palm on Glimmer’s forehead. This did not help her condition whatsoever - especially since Adora slid her hand to cup her cheek softly, allowing her hand to linger a bit before taking it back.

“Uh - yeah, I-I-I mean… yeah. I mean - I’m a  _ little _ nervous right now is all.”

“What’s wrong?”

“I, err…” Glimmer took a deep breath, steadying her heavy heart. “I know you know this much, but I only ever had Bow before I met you. I didn’t have anyone else that would ask about my day or my mood or just my well being overall. I didn’t have anyone else to cry to when I needed it. I didn’t have anyone but Bow.” Adora’s face became soft, happy, causing Glimmer’s heart to betray her as it fluttered. “I really need you to know how much I appreciate you always being around and never turning your back on me. I mean, you did once, but you were in the right.” Glimmer forced herself to look down, flustered by Adora’s soft smile. Adora’s hand caught her eye. Allowing her body to do the work for her, Glimmer took it in hers, curling her fingers around Adora’s. “If we lose-”

“Glimmer-”

“Listen to me,” Glimmer said, her eyes still on their hands, “if we lose… I need you to know that I wouldn’t trade you for anything.” She rubbed her thumb against Adora’s rocky knuckles. Feeling a tear of… something - love? - come to her eye, Glimmer looked into Adora’s. “You mean more to me than I could ever tell you.” Adora was dumbfounded by Glimmer’s words. Her face had become uncharacteristically pink, her mouth lowered on her face. Glimmer worried for a bit that she may have said something wrong, but came to the conclusion that Adora’s just being dumb as usual, stretching a smile on Glimmer’s face. The moment became silent, yet still intense. There was no sound whatsoever - no one to interrupt the moment. Only she and Adora existed here. Here, Glimmer flickered her eyes between Adora’s and her lips, hearing her own heartbeat. She wondered if Adora could hear her heartbeat as well. She felt a slight tug in their hands coming from both sides - a subtle tug. 

“Adora,” called Netossa.

Adora and Glimmer came back to their realities, Adora looking to the first floor. Glimmer used her free hand to cover her mouth softly as though she were to stop herself from saying something. “I’m late,” Adora said, bringing her gaze back to Glimmer. “I gotta go.”

“I know,” Glimmer admitted softly. “I’ll see you later?”

“You know it,” Adora grinned. 

Glimmer leaned up to Adora for a moment before pulling away, her eyes owlish with embarrassment. It was clear Adora was confused by this; only for a moment. Adora didn’t have time to think about it before taking off. Glimmer clenched her jaw, frustrated with herself.

* * *

Things started looking up for the rebellion. Spinnerella was saved, Entrapta knows how to deactivate the chips, and Adora is able to become She-Ra more easily. There’s hope for victory yet. Of course there is, rebellions are  _ built _ on hope after all. 

When Glimmer entered the “sleeping room” -  _ We really need to come up with a better name  _ \- to find that her bed was somehow moved to be next to Adora’s. Glimmer’s eyes rolled in annoyance,  _ Come on, Bow…  _

Now she lay beside Adora, facing Adora’s back. Once again, she was reminded of the party at Thaymor and just how cute Adora was being when learning about all the things Etherians did. Before Glimmer could think more about it, Adora suddenly shifted, turning to face Glimmer. Her free, sandy strands of hair poured over her face, perfectly framed for her eyes to peek through. Her blue eyes connecting with Glimmer’s lilac ones, Adora smiled. “Question," she whispered, “all that stuff you said before I left… where’d that come from?”

“What do you mean?” Glimmer whispered back, her heart starting to pick up the pace.

“I was, uh… I was on my way to the briefing and had this linear timeline in my head of what’s gonna happen and you kinda threw a wrench in there. I wasn’t expecting all that.”

Glimmer’s heart beated faster. “O-oh, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Adora assured, furrowing her brows, “it was a nice surprise. I’m just wondering where it came from - what made you wanna tell me all that stuff?”

Glimmer fiddled with a loose string from her blanket, still watching Adora’s gorgeous eyes. Then the usual: hot face, fast heart, shaky hands… That moment was  _ their _ moment. It was perfect. But that moment wasn’t here anymore. It was long gone by this point. The moment Glimmer’s confidence managed to spring for such a short time.  _ I realized that I’m in love with you. _ “I-I, err… No reason.”

Adora’s face became somber as though she was hoping for a different answer. Glimmer clenched her jaw, once again frustrated with herself for just not saying what she needs to.  _ Wait, what answer did she want to hear…? _

“You know,” Adora started, her voice hardly above a whisper, “growing up in the Horde, I… Well, like you only had Bow, I only had Catra. I never felt loved by anyone else. I never felt  _ wanted _ by anyone else. I didn’t know what it felt like to have family until I met you two,” she said, her smile returning to her face. Glimmer’s condition only worsened. “This goes two ways, Glimmer. I’m grateful you’re still here with me, even after everything.” Adora slid her hand out of her blanket and held it out for Glimmer to take, her smile widening as her eyes sparkled.

Staring at Adora’s hand, Glimmer became a furnace. This was becoming too much for her to handle - she sat up in her bed, looking away to hide her embarrassingly red face, her mind a whirlpool. “I need air,” she strained as she stood from the bed and walked to the entrance - she didn’t want to see Adora’s look of disappointment.

Once outside, Glimmer could breathe again. She wandered as she watched the stars, hoping to find comfort knowing that her problems are only small problems when there’s an entire galaxy out there.  _ This is nothing, _ Glimmer repeated to herself,  _ I can do this. I’ve done more dangerous stuff than this! Come on, Glimmer! _

Just as Glimmer was about to head back to base, she heard something. A cry for help? From a child? Perhaps? Knowing Adora would do the same, Glimmer prepared a magic circle for any possibility as she followed the cry for help.  _ I have to be useful. _

Upon finding the source of the cry, Glimmer was terrified. A Prime clone was playing the audio of the child, probably one he encountered during an invasion.  _ How did they know the base was here?! _ Glimmer realized: Prime must’ve theorized that the base is in the vicinity, not knowing where exactly. This was a trap.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was one of my biggest problems with Glimmer in the final season - SHE DID NOTHING except beat her dad. She was a total badass in season 4 where she beat Catra twice and destroyed all these robots in one fell swoop that even She-Ra was having trouble with and in the final season she does... what? Linger in the background cuddling with Bow and defeat her dad at the end? That's it? Wow ok.  
> Y'all have no idea how badly I wanted to put a Shrek reference in this chapter. Thankfully it didn't fit well into the conversation.  
> Next chapter is the final chapter. Might be lengthy. Might not come for a while - I'm finally seeing my girlfriend again after nearly 3 months (thanks covid) so I'm gonna be pretty distracted for the next two weeks or so. Cliffhanger :D Until next time, hopefully!


	5. I Love You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off, I'd like to clarify that Catra did still leave like she did in the original show.  
> Bow's speech - I'm thinking it happens at some point before Glimmer wakes up in this chapter, but coming from Mara's ship instead of Prime's.  
> Well, here we are. The final chapter. I'm so grateful this got as many likes as it did!! I didn't think it was that great. I can only hope this finale serves well ;-; I hope you enjoy. I really do. I put a LOT of work into this one.

The decorated ceiling of her bedroom. That’s what Glimmer first saw when her vision faded from black. She was in her Bright Moon bedroom, her bed several yards from the dirtied floor. The sky colored red by the sunset came through her window, shining its crimson color against the purple of her room. Wait, she was in Bright Moon?

Glimmer lifted her heavy body to sit, her eyes widening at the realization. She heaved anxious breaths, her mind racing. _Why am I here? What’s happening?_ Before much more could come to her head, she heard his voice. That awful voice that made her stomach twist. “Your majesty,” he said, his voice coming from just below her bed. She didn’t need to see him, her hands were already shaking as they did at his dinner table. She was petrified, tears welling along her bottom lids. “It warms my heart to see that you’ve come to,” he said, casually traveling along the steps to her bed. “I do apologize for using such… brute force. You left me no choice, after all.” She could feel him on the last step beside her bed. Hoping to hide her fear, Glimmer clenched her clammy fists in her pink blanket. What to do about her tears and shaky eyes, however, she came to no avail. 

“What do you want?” She blurted quickly in hopes of her trembling voice not pitching skyward. “Why did you bring me here?”

“This is your home, is it not?” He asked, sitting on the edge of her bed. She refused to look his way, instead looking out the window to the moonstone. “You see,” he started, sliding his pointy finger around the softness of her mattress, “I’ve managed to study this planet’s history thoroughly. As you might expect, my studies surrounded the Heart of Etheria. Now, imagine my surprise when I discovered _how_ it was activated. Imagine my surprise when I discovered just _how_ much you’d kept from me.” His voice became low, slightly growling - or, at least, it sounded that way. Glimmer’s shoulders tensed as she felt the weight of his hand come closer across the bed, her trembling intensifying. She was too afraid to even think or fathom what he may do in this anger. “And I wondered: if all princesses must be connected to their runestones to activate it, why is it not activated? And I realized…” Glimmer couldn’t help but gasp, squeezing her eyes shut, as she felt his nail press against her shoulder blade - right on her little wing, “the pup had been taken away from its milk too soon,” he said, sliding the tip of his nail up to the back of her neck, “and your connection was lost.” His hand snaked over her quaking shoulder, giving a firm, but not painful, grasp. “You know what you have to do.”

Glimmer’s tear dropped straight down her soft cheek. She couldn’t speak, couldn’t move. Her body felt stiff - as though she had been trapped in a statue or a pair of constraining armor. She wanted to move. She wanted to take his hand off of her. She wanted to kick him off the bed. She wanted to fight. She couldn’t. _I should’ve taken her hand…_

* * *

Glimmer walked, guarded. Before her was the back of the man she long thought dead. His coal-colored hair reached past his waist, his arms toned greatly, his hands big enough to still cover the top of her head as he used to. 

Behind her walked her most terrifying foe: Horde Prime. His steps behind her were light - sophisticated. He probably had his hands tucked behind him, his menacing grace propelling all that was near. Her only reason for being escorted to the moonstone so willingly was to not be chipped - she needed as much consciousness as possible if she were going to make it out of this. If she were to see Adora again. Fortunately, Prime showed leeway for her - for “little sister.” Ugh.

Glimmer walked faster, coming closer to her father. “Dad,” she whispered, feeling like she was choking on broken glass. Her heart weighed knowing her mother blamed herself for a death that never happened; her heart heavied knowing her father had spent the past decade or so yearning for his now broken family. “I need to believe you’re still in there,” she continued, hoping Prime can’t make out what she’s saying, “I need your help. I need you.”

“Honey,” Micah started, earning a cringe from her for not whispering, “it’s gonna be okay. You can trust Lord Prime. I did, and he rewarded me with my family. If you do not trust him, you can trust me,” he droned.

“Dad, think about Bright Moon. How everything was before-”

“Relax,” Micah interrupted, “Lord Prime will take good care of us. We will never be separated again.”

Glimmer’s shoulders dropped. This wasn’t working. Whatever needs to be done, she’ll have to do it on her own. 

Clearly, Prime wasn’t aware of the role She-Ra’s sword played. Without that sword, She-Ra can’t be forced into using the Heart of Etheria. As far as Glimmer was concerned, it was safe to connect to her moonstone. 

But… _mom…_

No, she couldn’t let her grief get in the way of this. She can’t hold back on taking the moonstone’s power this time. She’ll have to leave her grieving for later - compartmentalize. Bright Moon needs her. The princesses need her. _Adora needs me._

They’d finally reached the moonstone. Glimmer already knew her plan: take as much power as she can get; fight her way out of Bright Moon to safety. She sucked in a deep breath, knowing this plan would be much easier than done. But she couldn’t be discouraged by that. She couldn't afford it. 

"Your majesty," Prime insisted, practically pushing her closer to the moonstone. 

She took another breath. This was going to be her only chance. Glimmer held her hands up, looking to Micah in hopes of gaining his sympathy somehow. His eyes, however, remained empty in his green gaze. She took a step forward, running her hands into the moonstone. 

Glimmer's eyes were suddenly closed. A warmth engulfed her whole body in itself. Small tides of pink ran through her. This was bliss. This was the moonstone. 

Glimmer opened her eyes, finding white. Everything was white. Glimmer stood alone in the white. Before her stood a woman. She had long, dual-toned hair of both pink and purple. Her skin also had a tint of purple to it. She possessed a pair of translucent shimmery wings. Glimmer froze at the sight. “M… mom…?”

Angella smiled softly, yet sadly. Glimmer already felt hot tears welling up, her heart throbbing. Her legs were jelly in an instant. Her shoulders felt so weak, she felt she was going to collapse. This couldn’t be real. For weeks, she’d wanted nothing more than to feel her comforting arms around her. That being said, Glimmer couldn’t stop herself from launching into her embrace, allowing herself to sob into her chest. The woman wrapped her loving arms around Glimmer with a gentle squeeze, sighing. “Oh, Glimmer,” she breathed. Glimmer only felt warmer this way. 

“I’m sorry,” Glimmer choked after a moment of silence. Though she was curious on why she’s seeing her long gone mother, she knew there were more important things to do with whatever time they had here. 

“Why?” Angella asked softly, tightening her arms around Glimmer as she sniffled.

“I-” Glimmer began to tremble more, “I just wish I was a better daughter…”

“Glimmer,” Angella pulled away to rest her arms on her daughter’s shoulders, a lone tear rolling down her slim face, “I’ve always loved you with all my heart - even when you thought otherwise.” Angella stroked Glimmer’s tears with her thumb, “You’re _my_ daughter - I wouldn’t have asked for anyone else.”

Glimmer stood in silence, closing her eyes once again to let herself become warmer with her mother. “I miss you so much,” she whispered, more tears pouring down.

“I’ve missed you dearly,” Angella replied, running her hand through Glimmer’s hair. 

Remembering something, Glimmer’s eyes shot open, her tears ceasing immediately, “Mom, dad-”

“I’ve been watching,” she interrupted, still stroking Glimmer’s cheek with her thumb, “I know.”

Glimmer’s lips twitched into a smile, her heart throbbing even more. “Then you can rest easy.”

Angella’s face became soft, a gentle smile touching it. “I could already rest easy knowing I was leaving you to Adora.”

Glimmer’s smile became a grin as she leaned into her mother’s warm hand, blinking her watery eyes. “How…” her smile fell, eyebrows furrowing, “how are you here?”

For the first time ever, Glimmer saw her mother grin widely, her eyes glistening in love. “Your fire has been sparked.”

“My… fire…?” 

“I was much, much like you years before you were born. I was angry, brash, emotional…” As Angella went on, Glimmer found herself unable to imagine her this way. “Then I met your father; I had someone to fight for. A fire in me was born then. A fire in you is born now. I had Micah to fight for, and you have…”

Glimmer’s cheeks burned, “Adora.”

“And so, you’re ready to take on the full power of the moonstone. You’re the youngest to ever do so, and I could not be prouder.” 

Glimmer smiled, tears coming to her face once again. “You’re proud?”

“Always.” 

Suddenly, cracks began to form in the whiteness around them. Angella frowned at this as Glimmer only became perplexed. “You must go soon,” Angella said softly. “Before you do, I want you to promise me something.”

Glimmer’s eyes were wide at the revelation, nodding.

“I need you and Adora to take care of each other.”

Glimmer’s cheeks burned even hotter as she gave another nod. Before she could think of what to say next, Glimmer began crying again. “I don’t wanna go.”

“You’ll have to,” Angella cooed. 

Glimmer quickly sank into Angella in another embrace, now crying with a smile. “I love you.”

Angella squeezed. “And I love you. I will always be with you in your heart and mind,” she promised. 

The cracks pulled the whiteness apart, and Glimmer was standing before the moonstone once again, a single tear having wetted her cheek. Her heart remained heavy. No time seemed to have passed since she touched the moonstone. 

Glimmer was glowing, she noticed. A pink light shone from her skin; she felt free, somehow. With a slight arch of her back, Glimmer felt that her tiny wings had grown into the translucent wings similar to her mother’s. Inside, she could truly feel that her mother never left.

Before much more time could pass, Glimmer turned, lashing a beam of light at Horde Prime. Prime easily dodged, keeping his hands tucked behind him with a smirk. As Glimmer was about to launch another beam from her other hand, she felt something tighten around her, constraining her arms to her torso. Looking to her side, she saw Micah using magic on her. Prime chuckled lightly, “Come, now… I knew you’d attack before I even captured you,” he said. “I must admit, I am saddened it’s come to-”

Glimmer teleported, arriving behind Prime, floating, and launching another beam of light to the back of his head, sending him flying to the moonstone. As Glimmer readied her next attack, Prime scowled, a crack splitting across his face. He motioned for Micah to stand between them; Micah obeyed. “Glimmer, you don’t have to fight him,” Micah pleaded.

“It’s you, dad, that I don’t want to fight,” she retorted, releasing her attack to clap her hands together, twist them, and pull them apart to create a magic circle, “but I will if I have to.” 

Micah smirked, a magic circle spawning around his feet.

The two stood, tension filling the space between them. Prime breathed in through his nose, out through his mouth, prepared to break the silence. “I’m sure you two will have a wonderful time,” he said, turning to walk away. It was then that something caught the side of Glimmer’s eye: a battle emerged near the castle. The rebellion had arrived! And it seemed Micah and Prime took notice as well.

No time was wasted there. She-Ra ran between Netossa and Spinnerella toward the long bridge before the moonstone. Netossa formed a net around She-Ra, throwing her toward the bridge; Spinnerella used her wind powers to keep She-Ra steady in the air. She-Ra broke out of the net just before landing on the bridge, her legs staying strong in the impact. Before Glimmer could lose her train of thought staring at She-Ra, she turned back to Micah, smirking. “You might be more needed down there,” she said.

Micah looked to Prime, who nodded in approval. And so, Micah left to join the battle near the palace.

She-Ra ran over, stopping just by Glimmer. “Glimmer,” she called.

Glimmer looked up at the tall warrior, grinning. “I’m okay.” She returned her gaze to Prime, who still wore his condescending smirk. “We have something bigger to worry about.”

“A true pleasure to be in your company, She-Ra,” said Prime with a slight, polite bow. “Quite fortunate you’re here, believe it or not.”

“He made me activate the heart of Etheria,” Glimmer quickly explained, still holding her magic circle. When she chanced a glance at She-Ra, she noticed her distracted status as she stared at Glimmer’s new wings. “Adora,” she said sternly to bring her back.

She-Ra shook her head, blinking, “Right.” Her next words were quiet, “Looks like you got started without me,” she said, gesturing to the crack on Horde Prime’s face.

“I must admit, I’m quite… surprised… your blade hasn’t taken control yet,” Prime mused. “No matter; the heart of Etheria will make an excellent weapon whether you’re the key or not.”

“May I?” She-Ra asked, whirling her sword in her right hand.

“After you,” Glimmer replied with a shrug. 

As She-Ra charged at Prime, Glimmer transformed her magic circle into a rope, swinging it around in hopes to find an opportunity to tie it around Prime. She-Ra swung her sword inward at ankle height; Prime merely stepped away to dodge. She swung outward at his knee; he dodged again by only stepping back, his hands behind his back. She jabs her sword at his chest, he turns to his right. She kicks at his foot with her right foot; he raised it. With the momentum of her kick, She-Ra continued spinning, swinging her sword upward; Prime leaned back. She throws her right elbow to his chest, he brings a hand from behind him to catch it. She takes her sword with her left hand and spins to her left, swinging it at his head. Prime maneuvered around her, now between her and Glimmer. This was Glimmer’s chance. Glimmer whipped the rope around Prime; She-Ra stomped on the rope to pull him to his back. 

Once Prime was on his back, She-Ra attempted to stab him into the floor; he rolled away and, as he stood, Glimmer shot a light beam at him, not giving him any chance to do much else. Glimmer kept up in launching balls of light to him, frustrated at his agility in his evasion. She launched a ball to him with one hand and another in the opposite direction; she teleported the second one to come from the direction she predicted he’d dodge in. She predicted correctly, the ball of light bashing his shoulder, earning a solid grunt. “Glimmer,” She-Ra called before throwing her sword at Prime. Glimmer knew what she was thinking. As the sword was about to strike Prime, Glimmer teleported it to come from behind him; the sword damaged his side as it cut through the rope; Prime grunted once more, falling on one knee as he held his wound. Glimmer teleported the sword for She-Ra to catch; they stood side by side proudly. There was no doubt in Glimmer’s mind that they’d win in the end. 

“I’ll admit that the two of you can be formidable, but,” Prime started as he slowly stood, uncovering his wound, “I’m afraid I’m going to have to stop playing with my food.” Once that was said, his fingers extended into something resembling metal tentacles with pointy, probably deadly, ends; the tentacles shot to the two girls. Glimmer and She-Ra separated to dodge, only for the tentacles to separate as well, going after each of them simultaneously.

Glimmer took flight, blasting at the tentacles with her photokinesis as She-Ra took care of herself using her sword. Glimmer and She-Ra made eye contact just before the latter was struck on her arm, carving a green cut on her skin and pushing her off of the bridge. Glimmer felt her heart stop at the sight, but not for long - her mind brightened at an idea. She teleported She-Ra several kilometers above Prime. Prime looked up at She-Ra, once again smirking. Just as he was to strike at her, Glimmer teleported her once again to be flying from right next to Prime. Her damage against his side only worsened as he released a roar of pain, retracting his tentacles to pin She-Ra to the floor with all of them, knocking the sword out of her hand. 

“No,” Glimmer growled to herself as she teleported over to them, ready to blast another light beam when she’s suddenly constrained by her wrists and ankles by the tentacles, digging into her skin enough to leave green cuts, earning whimpers of pain from her. 

“I’ve underestimated you, Your Majesty,” Prime said softly, remaining eerily composed. “For that, I apologize. You will make an excellent soldier in my ranks.” He narrowed his eyes on She-Ra as she transformed back into Adora. “You, however, have become useless in my vision,” he said, reaching for her forehead as Adora struggled under his grip.

“No, don’t!” Glimmer cried, her heart pounding in her chest, “Please, wait, stop!!” Her cries became sobs, though they fell on deaf ears. Were things truly going to end this way? Would this truly be the last time she’d see Adora alive? Would she truly never have another chance to tell her how she felt? _I should’ve taken her hand._ She couldn’t let this happen, she had to do something. 

A black shadow dashed across Glimmer’s sight, striking at the back of Prime’s neck. Alarmed, Prime looked back to the source of pain. The black shadow came back around, shoving him off of Adora, thus freeing Glimmer and Adora. 

Adora, wincing, turned to stand on all fours. Glimmer, meanwhile, ignored whoever attacked Prime as she bolted to Adora’s side, helping her up. “Oh, my stars, Adora!” She said with a sigh of relief. 

“It’s okay, Glim-”

“I thought you were gonna die just now, it’s _not_ okay!”

“Little sister,” Prime cooed as he stood. “It’s a lovely reunion for everyone today, isn’t it?”

Glimmer and Adora looked to find Catra, her back turned to them, and Melog at her side. “Catra!” Adora exclaimed.

“You didn’t think I was done, did you?” Catra asked, grinning over her shoulder at Adora. 

This was, by far, the happiest Glimmer had been to see Catra. As Glimmer was caught up in this moment of joy, she heard something crash behind her. Looking back, she saw Micah facing off against Spinnerella, the last standing non-chipped princess. 

“Go,” said Catra, “I got Adora. It’s okay.”

Glimmer nodded and, before she left, she took Adora’s hand gently, gaining the blonde’s attention. Blue eyes blinked curiously. “Take care,” Glimmer spoke softly, “I mean it.”

Adora looked at their linked hands, lost in thought, before looking into Glimmer’s eyes again. She smiled, nodding. “You too.”

* * *

Glimmer stood on her knees, rough pants running through her. Micah lied before her, dirtied and defeated. She watched him lay helplessly, heartbroken at the sight. She didn’t want to fight him, but he left her no choice. At least he was still alive, though. 

“URGH!!!!”

The grunt echoed through the empty battlefield, its source coming from the moonstone. Exhausted, Glimmer flew to return to Adora, Catra and Melog in hopes Prime is on the verge of defeat. Though that much was true, so was Adora. Catra and Melog were sprawled on the floor in defeat. Perhaps Prime had been strategizing his next encounter with Melog’s kind should he ever need to face another. 

Adora stood on one knee, holding her staff above her head to block Prime’s attack. Glimmer mustered whatever strength was left in her hands, shooting yet another light beam at Prime, catching his attention. She landed between him and Adora, standing proudly. She didn’t know what she missed, but she knew one thing: She wasn’t going to let him lay another hand on Adora. “Follow my lead,” she immediately told the blonde behind her.

Before Prime could say something annoying, Glimmer barraged him with light beams, pushing him closer and closer to the bridge. As he growled, she gathered as much light as she could in her hands. She teleported, leaving her familiar pink sparkles behind. Seeing this, Prime predicted correctly she’d wound up behind him. All according to her plan, he turned to face her; she clapped the light in her hands just an inch away from his face, releasing an intense photo flash and blinding him in all of his freaky eyes.

Adora saw the opportunity and took it. She charged, launching herself to kick Prime with both of her feet, landing on her back. Glimmer teleported beside Adora to allow Prime to fall off of the bridge, his scream becoming more and more faint. 

Glimmer and Adora panted, both on their knees, as they looked down. It was all over just like that. With this in mind, Glimmer and Adora locked eyes, grinning lovingly as they caught their breath. 

* * *

There was a noisy celebration in Bright Moon. Bonfires burned, songs were sung, and fireworks lit the sky. The victorious rebels congratulated each other, joyous in the knowledge that their fight was over at last, and that their hard-earned freedom reached across Etheria thanks to Bow’s speech.

Glimmer and Micah had a teary, heart throbbing reunion.

Netossa and Spinnerella danced together.

Once Scorpia let go of Catra from her tight hug, Perfuma tugged her by her claw to plant a sweet kiss on her cheek. Scorpia, of course, flushed red.

Mermista and Seahawk held each other close.

Frosta made ice sculptures.

Entrapta helped Wrong Hordak have fun.

Huntara _smiled_ and _laughed._

Adora, Glimmer, Bow, and Catra hugged each other happily, despite Catra’s discontent, as everyone danced around the victory fires. 

Then, Glimmer caught sight of a familiar figure. The spectral image of Angella smiled proudly at the young queen. _I’ll try to make you more and more proud, mom…_

Adora and Catra had quietly walked off, probably thinking nobody would notice. But Glimmer did. Curious, she followed to a grassy cliff, the sun beginning to rise and beam over Adora and Catra. Glimmer hid behind a tree, listening in on their conversation.

“You’re leaving already?” Asked Adora. “Catra, I already told you I forg-”

“I… I need to see it for myself. How the world looks. All those things I’ve overlooked, I have a feeling I’d be able to see them better now. And if I miss this chance, I don’t wanna risk it being my only chance.”

A moment of smooth silence passed.

“What if… what if we all came with you? Glimmer, Bow and I? You know, the Best Friends Squad?”

“Adora, this is my road. I should walk it alone if I’m gonna redeem myself somehow. You guys aren’t responsible for the things I’ve done.”

“Well… if you ever need help with anything…” Adora’s voice sounded small. It hurt Glimmer to hear her this way - she clearly didn’t want Catra to leave, but… 

“Again with this. You fought to stop me. To the point you almost got yourself killed. All because you were my friend. You saved me. There aren’t a lot of people like you, and things won’t always go as planned - I mean, just look at us now. I’m glad you found people to be happy with. I just hope that I one day deserve to be around you, too.”

Glimmer flashed back. She was in that position, too. She’d also done enough wrong to completely isolate herself from the people that cared about her. She could only hope she’d redeemed herself. 

“You’re always welcome in my life, Catra. Remember that.”

“I will. Thank you, Adora. Take care of yourself.”

Adora and Catra hugged tightly, Melog coming over to them with its small noises of content. Adora rubbed her back, clenching her eyes to fight the tears. 

“This isn't goodbye,” Catra assured before pulling away from the hug. “It’s not like we’ll never see each other again. It’s a small world.”

“Yeah, it really is,” Adora admitted, wiping unshed tears with the heel of her palm. 

And with that, Catra departed with Melog at her side, leaving Adora in the light of the sunrise. Glimmer couldn’t allow her to remain alone like this, watching her shoulders shake. 

Quietly, and gently, Glimmer approached, setting a hand on Adora’s shoulder. “Hey.”

Adora looked back at Glimmer, her tears coming to a screeching halt. Her frown quickly reversed into a smile at the sight of Glimmer, making Glimmer’s heart jump. Glimmer happily returned the smile, sliding her hand down to take Adora’s hand, joining her in watching the sunrise. 

For a moment, Glimmer wanted to ask Adora about Catra, but figured it'd probably be better to talk about it later. This was their moment. Her palms began to sweat again. Finally, another moment. Her breathing had already hitched, her heart was ready to leap out of her chest, and her hands and knees were shaking ever so slightly. She felt a familiar warmth - the same warmth she'd felt with her mother in the moonstone. The warmth was comforting and... encouraging. With a shaky breath, Glimmer cleared all of her anxiety, feeling safe in Adora's presence. “Hey Adora?”

“Yeah, Glim?”

“I, uh… I saw my mom. When I touched the moonstone.”

Adora drew her gaze from the sunrise to Glimmer’s face, her brows knitted in concern. “Are you okay?”

Glimmer nodded, still smiling, and turning to meet Adora’s beautiful baby blues. “Yeah. I didn’t think I’d ever talk to her again. Feel her warmth again. She told me how proud of me she was.”

Adora’s concerned face became a heart warmed smile. “She would be, I know it.”

“Yeah… And, uh… She told me some other stuff that I thought I’d share with you.”

“Oh? And what’s that?”

Glimmer sighed through her nose, the noisy party playing quietly and far away. “I wasn’t honest with you back at base. There _was_ a reason I said all those things.” As Adora’s smile fell, Glimmer’s eyes flickered between her eyes, her lips, and her feet, then back to her eyes. “When I got to know you, I was afraid of how you made me feel. My heart would feel so weird. My face would get hot. You kept me up at night, always on my mind. At the time we've spent together, I... I want more of that. Star gazing, venturing, fighting side by side... Taking care of each other," she sighed again. "Adora, I… I love you,” she confessed softly.

“I…” Adora seemed at a loss for words. For a moment, Glimmer worried she had said something wrong. _Dang it! Of course I messed up-_ Adora squeezed her hand, laughing just slightly. “I love you too.”

Glimmer raised her other hand, gently caressing the girl’s cheek. She leaned in, eyes flickering between Adora’s eyes and lips. Adora had been doing the same, breathing in shallow huffs and puffs. The two closed their eyes and, when Glimmer brushed her lips against Adora’s, Adora wrapped her arms around Glimmer. Their kiss was soft, sweet, and lovely. The two melted into it, cradling in each other’s arms.

The heat of the sunrise pressed against them. This sunrise was the beginning of a new day. It was the beginning of Catra’s road to redemption. It was the beginning of the end of Glimmer’s grief. It was the beginning of Glimmer and Adora’s love. It was the beginning of freedom for Etheria. It was the beginning of new and good things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. Wow. This is rare. I usually don't finish stories. WOW. I gotta say, the positive feedback REALLY helped.  
> I'd like to clarify something: Shadow Weaver found Catra and convinced her to join the battle. I'm thinking either that's the last we see of her or she does die like in the original - protecting Catra - before Catra showed up to save the day.  
> Why I changed what I changed in this chapter: I was seriously disappointed that Bright Moon didn't have a bigger role in the season. They really only mention it once in the beginning and that's it. I figured the final battle being in Bright Moon would make things more personal for both the characters and the viewers. I didn't see much point in bringing back Hordak. Why do we only see like 3 seconds of Angella for no reason when Glimmer is losing against her dad? No! We need more closure!! GLIMMER NEEDS MORE CLOSURE JEEZ  
> Don't. Get. Me. Started. On. Glimbow. Yiiiiikes.  
> I didn't feel like Catra had redeemed herself in the show - rather, this was only the BEGINNING of her redemption. Thta's why I left things off with Catra that way.  
> Talk about an anti climatic ending! That epilogue should've been way longer than just under 2 minutes. We should've seen some sort of celebration like in Return of the Jedi.  
> Thank y'all so much for sticking around. It really means a lot to me how much y'all liked the previous chapters. I just reeeaaallly hope that this final chapter does justice. perhAPS I might do another chapter in the future for extra cuteness and fluff? We'll see....


End file.
